Nigel Farage says he will “do my bit” to help Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party, in the upcoming general election, but nothing “further than that.” Instead, he will be spending much more of his time supporting—“in any way that I can”—Donald Trump get elected as U.S. president for a second term.
In his statement, Farage said in his defence that “important though the general election is, the contest in the United States of America on November 5th has huge global significance. A strong America as a close ally is vital for our peace and security.”
The former UKIP leader floated the idea of moving to the States and helping the Republican Party some time ago. Asked in April whether Trump had offered him a job, he joked: “I can’t remember.” Farage, who is ‘honorary president’ of Reform, did not directly name Trump in his statement, but it is clear that this is who he will be offering his time to.
After almost three decades of political interventions, including his (reluctant) service as the MEP for South East England from 1999 to 2020, Farage’s reduced involvement in British electoral politics will be a change of direction. While he has said he is “fully supportive of Richard Tice’s leadership,” it does suggest that Farage sees the limits of the Reform revolt.
The news will come as a significant blow to Reform, whose chances of rising in the polls have been pinned on Farage’s political comeback—that is, in Britain, not America.
